“God, if you’re a God of love, then where are You in all this? Have You forgotten your children?” This is a question that ran through my mind one day as I was watching a report of millions of homeless hungry refugees.
One can conclude that either God is not completely in control, or He has somehow chosen to allow the atrocities that we see in this world to exist. Either way, it’s hard to understand.
As I wrestled with this, it occurred to me that the story of the Scriptures is about a God who is present and active in human history. God is not essentially somewhere else, but is active and present in this world. We see this in Jesus, do we not? The incarnation of God in Jesus sent a clear message, “I care. I have heard your cry, and I’m here to do something about it.”
So as I am watching those images and asking those questions, another thought came. I was asking the wrong question. Rather than asking, “Where is God?” the better question may be posed by God, “My people, where are you in the midst of all this?”
Isn’t this the concept in 2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. Take another look at that verse. We, the believers in Christ, are to be the physical representatives of God on earth.
If the world wants to know what God is like, the first place it should look is the Church, right? We are to embody the message and spirit of Jesus. As His representatives, God is making His dream for this world through us, not apart from us. I guess you could say that the Church is not only supposed to proclaim the message, we are to live the message.
Perhaps the next time we approach a situation in life and ask, “God, where are You in all this?”, if we are quiet enough to hear the voice of God, His reply might be, “I’m right here in the middle of it. Where are you?”
How should this change the way we live? How might this change the way you live?
READ THIS: Exodus 19:3-6; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:9-10
because i'm my brothers keeper i must all ways be the one to step up, God is is always there.
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